Sustt: Knowledge gaps, home truths, heatwave, cooling clothes, it's a rap
Knowledge gaps
We need better data and more diversity in science for climate adaptation?
by Anja Pries (Sustainability Speciliast)
What’s happening??There are still major gaps in understanding climate change impacts despite recent advances in attribution science, according to a study published in Environmental Research: Climate. Dr Luke Harrington, one of the authors, said a lack of high-quality data prevents meaningful climate predictions for many parts of the world. (China Dialogue)
Why does this matter??The?extreme weather events?experienced this summer – affecting almost every corner of the globe – have highlighted the need for timely climate adaptation alongside?more ambitious?mitigation plans. Yet the development of adequate adaptation measures requires an understanding of global, regional and local climate risks – and these are dependent on the availability of robust climate models and data.
Where is the data??Last week we?wrote?about the inherent limits of climate change modelling but, more fundamentally, continuous historical records and comprehensive data sets are a very necessary prerequisite for predictions about future temperatures, precipitation and extreme weather events. Unfortunately, these parameters are missing in many parts of the Global South. South Africa, for example, has?no records?of a significant heatwave since 1900 despite actually experiencing several since then. Patchy weather station coverage is part of the problem, with Africa’s network density equating to just?one-eighth?of the minimum outlined by the WMO.
An issue of representation?–?The issue is amplified by a lack of studies focused on – and conducted by – low and middle-income regions. A Carbon Brief?analysis?of the 100 most-cited climate research papers and over 1,300 authors between 2016-2020 found that 90% of all scientists were affiliated with institutions from North America, Europe and Oceania. Only 7.3% of authors were based in Asia, 2.8% in South America and 0.7% in Africa. Since most climate research capacity is based in high-income nations, they are also the ones developing the majority of climate models – which are then better at predicting changes in these climatic zones.
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Home truths
A new?study?has found that if the UK government continues with its housing strategy – part of which is to build 300,000 homes per year – this alone would mean England would use up the entirety of its 1.5C carbon budget by 2050. If England is to stay in line with 1.5C of global warming, it has 2.5 gigatonnes of CO2 (and counting) left to emit by this date. Without action, the housing sector is set to emit 2.6 gigatonnes. More detail is available?here.
There are plenty of?other policies?at odds with the UK’s carbon targets. However, there is clearly a fine line between taking action on climate change and improving the affordability of housing in England. It’s important to note though that, as the study indicates, most of the problem lies with the country’s existing housing stock, which is incredibly energy inefficient. The study makes some suggestions, including curbing the purchase of homes as financial instruments, though its main recommendation is to radically retrofit England’s existing housing stock to save energy and emissions – a plan that would have plenty of?other benefits.
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Bite-sized insights
What else we're seeing this week ??
Heat, energy, supply chains?–?We’ve previously?highlighted?the extent of this summer’s heatwaves across the northern hemisphere. One area being particularly impacted is China, whose current heatwave has now been?described?as the most severe ever recorded, anywhere. While China’s government may not communicate the true extent of the impacts, we know the country’s industry is suffering from a lack of hydropower due to drought. In response, coal plants – and their emissions – are?ramping up.
Across the water in Japan, energy concerns due to disrupted markets are resulting in a more seismic shift. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has?said, in response to soaring fossil fuel prices, that the country will restart more of its nuclear reactors and even look to build new nuclear plants. The about-turn following the country’s Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 may influence nuclear perceptions elsewhere, but Germany – also under considerable energy pressure – is?staying firm?on its nuclear phaseout plans.
Cooling clothes?– Staying in Japan,?Cool Biz?2.0 has arrived in the form of clothing that actively keeps the wearer cool. Used frequently by Japanese construction workers, “air conditioned clothing” technology is now?finding its way?to more casual and stylish clothing items. Neat idea, or horrendously uncool use of resources and energy? Time will tell whether this catches on elsewhere.
It’s a rap?–?In a step to distance itself from what may be one of the most ill-conceived ideas this year, Capitol Records has?severed digital ties?with a Black cyborg AI rapper called FN Meka, following backlash over the “careless abomination” of stereotypes forming the caricature. The approval of the project, which saw a machine “rap” about lived experiences like police brutality and incarceration while being fundamentally unable to experience them, showed tone-deaf leadership, said activist group Industry Blackout. The group also said the approval is an indication of a lack of diversity at Capitol Records.
This incident shows another example of why it's important to consider diversity when developing artificial intelligence. AI-driven personas will open up yet another series of questions about AI in relation to equality, diversity and bias, with the technology, if not carefully designed, already?propagating?real-world biases in artificial decision-making.
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